Beech Tree News Network

The public school year is coming to a close, and many young people will be graduating from high schools across the country very soon. Each year we watch young people graduate from high school and transition into new situations. For some, career path choices can be hard decisions.

I did some quick research about occupational predictions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics listed in the Occupational Outlook Handbook the 20 occupations with the highest projected percent change of employment from 2023 to 2033. The top five growth rate areas predicted were: wind turbine service technicians (growth rate 60%), solar photovoltaic installers (growth rate 48%), nurse practitioners (growth rate 46%), data scientists (growth rate 36%), and information security analysts (growth rate 33%). Additionally, some familiar jobs included on the 2025 top 20 most in-demand jobs in the U.S. were patient care and teaching. Many career areas appear to be understaffed and/or facing a growing demand, so our new graduates have a variety of paths from which to choose for future employment.

Thinking about graduates’ choices, I asked friends and family: “Which careers, trades, or jobs do you believe need more workers?” Their responses are listed below.

-Trades, definitely electricians, plumbers, and HVAC people.

-I asked Grok (an AI assistant) and the response was nurse practitioners, physician assistants, software developers, wind turbine technicians, home health aides, and retail salespersons. Nurse practitioner and physician assistant were two of the top10 jobs on the list. If I were a young person, I would go into health care because it likely can’t be automated any time soon.

-We need more electricians and plumbers – all crafts actually. I think the best field to get into right now is the medical field. Teachers too often get treated poorly nowadays, in my opinion – can’t please parents anyway. That’s my take.

-Plumbing, electric, and HVAC. Healthcare is a big one, too.

-We need more environmentalists and conservationists. Maybe if more people were educated and equipped about issues we are facing, it would help slow down our consumption.

-People have lots of careers or jobs to choose from now. Each job requires some basic qualities, like honesty, integrity, job skills, passion, and patience. Whatever a person’s job, whether it’s digging a ditch or doing heart surgery, that person needs to be 100% giving his or her best effort. That saying that if you love your job, you’ll never really work a day in your life has some truth. When people give their best, they are successful, whether making beds or being a super model.

-Healthcare desperately needs more workers. A lot of healthcare professionals stopped working during covid for various reasons and with the aging boomer population, our healthcare is expected to be in desperate need of more workers now and in the near future.

-I believe that more young people need training in working on washing machines and dryers, etc. We still need someone to work on appliances that break down, and it’s hard to find anyone to do that. Also, trades such as plumbing, electrical work, and HVAC are needed; people need these skills all the time!

-We encouraged computer jobs years ago. Now we need plumbers, agricultural experts, house painters, radiologists, teachers, and child care workers. The list goes on and on….

-I think we need more trade schools. Tradesmen who can learn basic skills and do jobs no one can do anymore. These skills are dying out with the older generation. You can’t find a repairman anymore!

Steve Jobs said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” and Ayn Rand said, “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” As I’ve mentioned before, choosing a career and choosing specific jobs were difficult decisions for me, but I loved each job I held. Parents and educators, thank you for helping our graduates. Graduates, I wish you well, and remember that people are cheering for you!